After pulling slowly away from the station, the train weaves it’s way out of Dunedin, past Carisbrook Stadium and along the Main South Trunk line as far as Wingatui Junction. From there we switch tracks and start heading inland, rattling across the plains on the beginning of the Otago Central Railway.
The Taieri Plain was once a massive swamp of flax and narrow waterways but is now greener-than-green farmland – carved up into rectangular fields and scattered with livestock – it’s the classic rural New Zealand scene. We first see the Taireri River itself a few clicks past Wingatui and it’s very low and slow, lined by willow trees and apparently full of trout.
The Taieri is the third longest river in the country (320 km long) and passes through a huge variety of landscapes between it’s source in the Lammerlaw Ranges and the mouth 18km south of Dunedin. We’re going to be following it 60km upstream – and uphill. Behind the vast Taieri Plains is the Strath Taieri – a kind of high plateau or valley between the Rock and Pillar Range and the plains. Over millions of years the Taieri River has carved a deep gouge into the ancient rock of the Strath Taieri, and that’s where we’re headed.
(see a map of the route here)
It’s not long before the track starts to climb and we hit the first tunnel. I’ve been hanging out on the platform between the carriages and the sudden plunge into darkness is kind of eerie :
These pictures reminds me of “Dawn of the Dead” for some reason…
So that was Salisbury Tunnel, an impressive 437 metres long according to the train announcer, a classic Kiwi tour guide-type, complete with lots of dead-pan jokes and incredible trivia. He keeps up a pretty much constant commentary which has some interesting tit-bits. For example at the mouth of that tunnel are some kind of natural soda springs that used to be bottled and sold. I had no idea soda water just bubbled conveniently out of the ground like that and wonder if you can somehow go and sneakily fill up a few bottles now. That leads inevitably to thoughts about the state of the dining car’s beer supply. Dene is obviously psychic, as he appears from inside with a similar idea just as we hit another tunnel…
Obviously that means a bit of a gap in the photographic record at this point, although according to our helpful guide the most dramatic parts of the gorge are yet to come.
That suits me fine as I have a microwaved pie and a can of beer to deal to before any more creativity is possible. My life is certainly easier than the poor sods who had to build this railway line – in the 60km stretch of the line that we’re traveling there are 10 tunnels and 35 bridges. Work on the Otago Central Line started in 1879, as the grand gold rushes of Central Otago were on the decline and presumably a lot of the unemployed diggers were recruited to chip out a thin path through some pretty serious terrain. It took 10 years to complete the first section, 27km to Hindon, which still has it’s original little wooden station.
Once past Hindon, we enter the really dramatic section of the gorge…
The landscape just seems to get bigger and bigger and must have been a massive challenge to those poor guys that had to get the railway through. The rail line is like a tiny thread in this massive gouge in the earth, and even major constructions like viaducts seem small and insignificant :
It’s only when we’re going across it that the size of the Flat Stream viaduct becomes apparent.
It’s turned out to be a cracker of a day and the vast emptiness and stark beauty of the Gorge is finally revealed :
After several more kilometres of jaw-dropping views (and another beer) the Taieri Gorge Train reaches the end of the line. We step out at Pukerangi, having left the Gorge and reached the flat surface of the Strath Taieri Plataeu. The air is supernaturally clear, and behind the stark rock-scape of the valley the Rock and Pillar mountains loom, marking the far edge of the Strath Taieri.
Although obviously we still have to travel the 77km of track back to Dunedin, this is where the post ends my dear reader. I can’t believe it took me so long to take this trip – it was absolutely brilliant and a great day out for anybody. Train travel is just so damn pleasant and a great way to appreciate Otago’s often underrated scenic wonders – no traffic, no worries, stunning views and plenty of tasty refreshments – nice one.
